Introduction to Cloth Diapering

If you’re just starting your cloth diapering journey,
you may be surprised by the degree of passion people feel about their
choice to cover their baby’s booty in cloth. If you ask a zealot why you
should cloth diaper, they may talk to you for an hour. We’ll try to be
more concise.

Better for Baby: Disposable diapers contain dioxin, a
highly-toxic carcinogen and Tibutyl-tin (TBT), a toxic pollutant and
hormonal disruptor. Disposables are so absorbent because they contain
sodium polyacrylate, which was used in tampons until the early 1980’s
when it was linked to toxic shock syndrome. If you’ve ever changed a
baby’s disposable diaper and noticed little blue beads of gel on their
bottom, that was sodium polyacrylate. Since skin is your baby’s largest
organ, it goes without saying you’d rather not cover it in toxic
chemicals like these.

Better for the Planet: All those chemicals that
don’t absorb into your baby’s bloodstream will be dumped into a landfill
and eventually reach your water source when using disposable diapers.
The same is true for the feces, which is meant to be dumped in the
toilet even when using disposables, but almost never is. We can’t know
for sure, but the estimate is that a single-use diaper takes between
250-500 years to decompose, and more than 27 billion disposable diapers
are used every year in the US. And finally, over 300 pounds of wood, 50
pounds of petroleum and 20 pounds of chlorine are used to produce the
disposable diapers ONE baby needs for ONE YEAR

Better for Your Pocketbook: The savings you will get
out of cloth diapering vary depending on which type of diapers you use
and the capacity and efficiency of your washing system. But overall, you
can spend between $2000-3000 to put disposable diapers on a baby from
newborn to potty-learning (depending on the brand you buy). Your costs
for a babyhood of cloth will range from around $300 for the most
economical system to about $700 for a premium system (and those numbers
include water and energy costs). So even if we round that premium system
up to $1000, you’re saving at least $1000 per child. Add to THAT the
fact that you can reuse those diapers for your next child, and your
savings simply multiply.

And Just Plain Cute: Okay, this one is not as
compelling as the others. But there’s no denying that a poofy,
cloth-clad booty is far cuter than its crinkly, paper-clad equivalent.

(For lots of great statistics and information on environmental
impact, costs, etc. with formal annotation, check out the website of the
non-profit Real Diaper Association at www.realdiaperassociation.org)

What are the different cloth diapering systems?

Prefolds and Covers: The most economical system, a prefold (or flat)
diaper is folded in the style of your choice, usually pinned or
snappied into place, and then enclosed with a waterproof cover.

Fitteds and Covers: Slightly more money and less learning curve than
a prefold and cover, a fitted and cover system requires an absorbent
fitted diaper which usually snaps or velcros closed, and is then
enclosed with a waterproof cover.

Pockets and Inserts: A popular choice for convenience, a pocket
diaper must be stuffed with the inserts of your choice, but requires no
cover and keeps the moisture away from your baby’s skin.

One-size Diapers: One-size diapers may be fitteds that require a
cover, pockets that require inserts, or covers that require an absorbent
layer inside. Whichever style you get, one-size diapers snap up or down
to fit an infant or a toddler, and eliminate the need to buy different
sizes as your baby grows.

All-in-Ones: All-in-ones include the waterproof outer and absorbent
inner in one simple diaper that requires no assembly. They are the most
like disposable diapers when it comes to putting them on the baby. On
the downside, they can take a long time to dry.

Hybrid diapers include an insert that lays against the baby’s skin
and it’s changed with every diaper change and a reusable waterproof
cover that is used more than once throughout the day. These are a
favorite among new parents interested in cloth diapering.

Wait. But isn't cloth diapering hard?

Probably not as hard as you think. On the one hand, it’s not as
simple as disposable diapering, though most cloth diaper converts think
the benefits far outweigh the bit of effort. And there are even some
that say it’s easier, since the number of poopy blowouts you will see
with cloth is usually far fewer than with disposables. But here are a
few answers to burning questions:

How often do I change cloth diapers?
More often than disposable diapers. Because they are not loaded with the
lovely absorbent chemicals we mentioned before, cloth diapers simply
don’t have the capacity of disposable diapers. Ideally, they need to be
changed every two hours or so, but this depends on your baby and your
diaper system (ie, a pocket diaper that keeps the moisture away from the
baby’s skin can be left on longer, particularly if it is stuffed with a
lot of absorbent material).

How many do I need?
For a newborn, you’ll want to have 10-12 diapers per day, so if you’re
planning to wash every other day you should shoot for around 24 diapers
(but remember you’ll need fewer covers). When they hit around 5-6
months, you’ll generally need 6-8 diapers per day.

How often do I wash cloth diapers?
This depends partly on how many cloth diapers you have in your stash,
and how often you change them (ie, if you have a frequent pooper or
heavy wetter). With a small stash, you might wash every day, but even
with a large stash, every other day is ideal. You don’t want to let them
sit for too long before washing. While every other day may sound like a
lot, it probably takes a grand total of five minutes to throw diapers
in the washer and transfer them to the dryer. Calculate more time if
you’re hanging them up to line dry, or stuffing pocket diapers when
they’re done.

How do I get started?

The best advice is to try a variety of things when you’re first
starting out. Pockets may appeal to you, but you may find you hate
stuffing them and prefer AIO’s. You may think folding prefolds sounds
intimidating, and it turns out you love them. Even the best brands don’t
fit every single baby, depending on how your little guy is
proportioned. So don’t go out and buy 24 of one brand and one size.

We offer diaper packages (like this one at
Granola Babies) designed to let you try a variety of different diapers
at one go. Or just put together a hodge podge of what appeals to you.
Try them out and order more when you know what you and your baby likes.
(And also be aware that may change as your baby grows and their
elimination needs change.)

A word on laundry

Laundry routines are as varied and personal as cloth diaper systems,
and you will have to figure out what works for you, your diapers, and
your washing machine. But here are a few things to keep in mind:

All detergents are NOT created equally. Never use a diaper detergent
with fragrances, dyes, enzymes or brighteners. Some detergents that are
popular in the cloth-diapering world are Rockin Green (available at
Granola Babies) Allen’s Naturally, Country Save (also at Granola Babies
and our favorite!), and Sport-Wash. Some people have good luck with
“free and clear” brands and others don’t.

It seems counter-intuitive, but you want to use less detergent on
diapers than you would on clothes, or you will get a stinky build-up.
Generally, for detergent that isn’t cloth diapering detergent, use
about half the recommended amount of detergent in a top loader and a
quarter of the recommended amount in a front-loader.

You will find what works for you, but some variation on a cold
pre-wash, hot/cold wash, and extra cold rinse is common when laundering
cloth diapers. Line drying is great for the planet, but any diapers with
a PUL layer need to have a hot dryer cycle from time to time to seal up
the waterproof barrier.

Wet pails (soaking soiled diapers until washing time) used to be the
norm, but they are used with less and less frequency. Most people keep
soiled diapers in a dry pail (and a bit of breathing room actually helps
control the stink) until they are ready to be washed. The stink many
people associate with diapers today actually comes from the reaction
between urine and the chemicals in disposables. You will likely be
surprised by how little you smell the dirty diapers.

Setting diapers out in the sun makes a world of difference in removing stains.

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